Islam Times - US drone attacks in Pakistan to rise for 2013

Islam Times - The US plans to step up its assassination drone attacks on Pakistan’s tribal region in 2013 as the US administration prepares to announce plans for withdrawing most its forces out of Afghanistan.

According to a report published by The Washington Post on Friday, the aerial raids on Pakistan are considered a way to weaken militant groups fighting against the Afghan government before the withdrawal of US forces.

The killer drone attacks also serve notice that the US will still be able to launch such unilateral attacks, the report said.

Seth Jones, an American counterterrorism expert, said that the surge in a wave of CIA drone strikes on Pakistan “may be a signal to groups that include not just al-Qaeda that the US will still present a threat” after most US troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan.

He went on to say, “With the drawdown in US forces, the drone may be, over time, the most important weapon against militant groups.”

The new report comes while Pakistani authorities publically condemned the drone attacks on the country.

On January 4, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Moazam Ali Khan said, “We consider the drone strikes totally unproductive, illegal and violative of Pakistan's territorial integrity.”

Khan also said that Pakistan wants to resolve the issue of US assassination drone attacks on the country through bilateral talks with Washington.

Pakistan’s tribal regions are attacked by US terror drones almost regularly, with Washington claiming that militants are the targets. However, casualty figures clearly indicate that civilians are the main victims.

Despite Pakistan’s repeated calls on the US to end the drone attacks, the US government continues its deadly strikes on the country’s tribal belt.

Over the past few months, massive protests have also been staged across Pakistan to condemn the United States for violating the country’s sovereignty.